Out of the stronghold
by mycove
Summary: A one-shot, set during Cassandra's Revenge, after the final battle. Varian got out of the stronghold, in more than one way. What if he had been more affected than he let on ?


Varian was falling.

It was both quick as lightning and never-ending. Time seemed to have stopped and yet his mind was unable to fully process what was happening.

He was falling. Falling to his death, probably.

Somehow Varian wanted to brace himself for the blow. The moment when his fragile body would hit the stone or the ground at full speed, and when everything would be said and done. But all he could do was scream with terror.

Yet the brutal ending didn't happen. It took the boy a second or two to register that suddenly, he wasn't crushing on the outgrowth of Cassandra's stronghold. Instead, he had been caught up by two strong, comforting arms. Eyes wide, hair disheveled and goggles askew, Varian froze as his brain tried to make sense of the friendly face with brown eyes in front of him.

"Lance ?" he tried under his breath, not quite sure he could believe that he was alive. But the doubt didn't last, and with a genuine sigh of relief, the alchemist threw his arms around the man's thick neck, never wanting to let go.

"Varian ?" Lance blurted out, as surprised as the dark-haired boy. "See ? Here he is !", he pointed out to Catalina and Keira, especially for the latter who was about to explode with the frustration of not having been able to join the action – or more precisely, the deadly battle. "And I led us right to him," he smugly added.

Lance deliberately ignored the facepalm on Keira's part. Inside, he was feeling quite proud of himself. Unbeknownst by the two girls, he had managed to keep them safe and away from Cassandra's wrath. He had to play dumb to get them lost in the labyrinth of the stronghold, but their safety was totally worth it.

Proof was, if needed be, that Varian almost died from the confrontation with their former friend. It had been sheer luck though, that Lance was there to catch him.

"Right, everyone,", Lance joyfully proclaimed, "I suppose that all we have to do now is head back to the –"

The sturdy man trailed off as his body sensed that something was wrong. Varian was still hugging him fiercely, but his skinny form had started to tremble.

"Hey… hey, kid, what… ?"

Lance was once again at a loss for words as Varian buried his face in his chest, his gloved hand gripping the fabric of the man's shirt so tightly that it might tear it. Soon sobs escaped from the boy's throat.

Varian felt the beefy arms cradle him a bit tighter, and a hand moved up to the back of his head, stroking his mop of hair with fatherly tenderness. Catalina and Keira stepped back respectfully, and for once, the black-haired girl didn't lash out with a sarcastic remark.

Everything that happened since Cassandra's irruption in Demanitus' chamber was flooding back to Varian's mind, the memories and emotions too fresh, too painful to handle.

"It's all right, buddy… it's all right…"

Soft as it was, Lance's voice jerked Varian out of his tremors. He didn't want the others to worry, or worse, make them think he was weak. So, he pulled out of Lance's embrace and hopped down. He forced himself to stop shaking but his legs remained wobbly. He quickly wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve.

"Oh, I… I'm fine… Just… just tired, that's all," he sniffled, looking away.

Lance wasn't fooled by Varian's fib, but he decided to play along.

"Sure, kiddo. No problemo. And you must be hungry too, am I right, or am I right ?" he mused.

"Nah,", Varian quickly replied, "I'm okay, I…"

Suddenly, the boy's face contorted and his friends looked at him with renewed concern. His whole body tensed and he seemed in pain, but why ? How ?

"…I…. I'm starving, I've been kept for hours and hours in that cage up there and I can't remember the last time I ate," he uttered in a tearing hurry, his tone unnaturally recitative as he spoke.

Lance's eyes widened and he blinked a few times in confusion. The alchemist winced. He perfectly knew what happened. The truth serum that Cassandra made him drink while he was unconscious hadn't completely worn off and he would tell the truth, any questions asked.

Lance and the girls, though, had no clue, and silently decided that his strange attitude was due to the shock of his fall.

"Ooookay, Varian, that's easily fixed. Let's go," Lance announced, laying a hand on the faltering kid's shoulder to steady him. "You can ride Max, 'cause, hey, you probably feel beaten up, don't ya ?"

Varian squeezed his eyes shut and tried very hard to keep control over himself. Oh, how he hated this. Never ever would he have wanted Lance or the girls to hear what his heart wanted to cry out. But something from inside him wouldn't shut the door and keep secrets inside, no matter how hard he would clench his jaw. After an uneven struggle, Varian had to give up and the dam broke.

He fell to his knees on the stone slab as hiccups and sobs wracked his whole frame.

"I didn't… I couldn't… make her listen," he wailed, not caring anymore if he looked pathetic, just finally allowing himself to let the truth serum do its job and take it all out. "She… she was so angry, a hard look in her eyes… She took me and drugged me, and then she tried to hurt me with her sword and the rocks, although she said she didn't want to… rage… that's all there was… I know… I know how she feel, and I know how she will feel now she has nothing left to lose… I wanted to save her… I…. I tried, but…"

Varian's litany of cries came to a sudden halt when he felt small hands firmly holding his shoulders. He looked up through hot tears and ragged breaths, and saw Kiera's face, sorrow on her face.

"I know you wanted to help her. We all do. It's not your fault if she wouldn't listen. You're right, you tried, and sometimes, all we can do is accept that things don't go our way."

Varian's eyes filled up with fresh tears, but he felt unable to speak any more. At least, nothing coherent.

"She's right," Catalina countered, coming closer and kneeling next to Varian. "You can be proud of yourself. I know I am." She leaned to close the distance between them and hugged his lanky frame. Kiera did the same with unexpected strength.

Varian's breath hitched at the sudden feeling, but after a second, he let his body relaxed and hugged his friends back, sagging on the hard floor with every sob.

A couple of steps away, Lance let a single tear roll down his cheek. The kid was going to need lots of hugs, plenty of quiet time and good friends around him.

And he would make sure that he would get them ten times over.

**I loved that scene so much in the series, but I also like it with a bit more angst :) I drew that scene before writing this ( mycove-art on tumblr) and I was also inspired by a suggestion on tumblr but I couldn't find who it was (please, if you read this, I would love to credit you !).**

**Hope you liked it ! and feel free to let me know !**


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